We’ve been had

As Pam Frampton points out in her column entitled “Riches to rags in 100 days,” the Dunderdale government, days before the budget was brought down, forecast a huge deficit.

Then, after announcing a significant number of layoffs in various areas and cuts to certain health services to low-income persons, proudly declares in its budget that, lo and behold, they have managed to find close to a billion dollars which, to no one’s surprise, will be used to reduce the deficit and thereby save this government’s collective arse.

People, we have been slickered; we’ve been had.

We have been had by a government whose ministers and the premier might just have learned the finer points of political manoeuvrings at the knee of a master of the art of political manoeuvrings, our former premier, Mr. Danny Williams.

Mr. Williams appeared to utilize his skills in the political arena, at least most of the time, for the betterment of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

It appears that the present government is employing its political manoeuvring skills in a desperate attempt at self-preservation.

At the same time, it appears to be oblivious to the negative effects that its apparent preoccupation with self-preservation is having on groups and individuals in this province, on whom significant hardship is being unjustly inflicted.

Comments

Comments

Your name*Email*Comment*

Recent comments

EDfromRED

April 05, 2013 - 20:02

Did we elect the PC party or the NALCOR party? Seems like every red cent is going into that companys coffers. Muskrat Fall's must be a magic project that is going to make us all billonares and cure cancer.

The key word is "appeared" to utilize his skills. ........... Given the way Danny quashed any challenge to his king-like control over "his" government/cabinet/policies/plans, how he sold off Fisheries Products International, split it up and threw the pieces to his corporate buddies (both inside and out side the province) ---- at the total expense and loss of such a valuable renewable resource to rural Newfoundland and Labrador, and given the biggest giveaway of all --- Muskrat Falls --- paid for lock, stock and barrel by ratepayers, for a dinosaur of a hydro dam that is not needed, and for the little power that will be generated, will have to be virtually given away to the mining companies that Danny is now involved with and to Nova Scotia (free for 35 years), and that will saddle or children and grand children with BILLIONS in debt for 50 years and be a sink hole for the people's oil revenues ----- it seems that it is being generous to a fault to say that it "appears" that Danny used his skills for the benefit of the people. Our children will pay $14.5 BILLION over 50 years just to pay off the debt and to pay Muskrat's operating expense (throw in another $20 Billion TAX GRAB by government/Nalcor). Danny's skills used for the benefit of the people?--- I just don't see it.